


From Death to Birth

by skekMal



Category: The Dark Crystal (1982), The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:33:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25545952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skekMal/pseuds/skekMal
Summary: For my friend, Randy, who owns gelfling Ariya.Based on genius RP we are having!skekMal captures daughter of a all-maudra to be his servant. But soon, they, even in face of Hunter's harshness and hostility, something happens and it never be like before again in both's lives.
Relationships: skekMal (Dark Crystal)/Original Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 12





	1. Fear and Wonder

skekMal slowly slid the edge of the knife over the stone. He liked the sound of sharpening, it was raw and similar to the blade severing the bone. His fingers slowly pressed over the verge, trying it. Good. He fastened the last knife over his belt and standing from the rock, he waved with his tail, smelling in the morning air. She hid somewhere, yet he was sensing her scent, couldn't be too far. "Ariya!" his low and deep voice pierced the air, as he sat again to check the belts and straps over his body. The animal he pursued was maybe two days before him, chased by its mating instincts but he could bet his own reputation that it won't take him too long to cut the distance and add its skull to his collection of trophies.

Ariya's ears pricked when she heard her name being called. She shifted herself so that she was leaning over the tree branch she was hiding behind to find where Hunter's voice had come from. She was too cautious to go at once.

His eyes followed the place where her scent was more prominent. "If you won't come here, I will go after you and you won't like that" he growled impatiently. "You won't hide, I sense you."

Ariya gulped nervously, and after a moment of hesitation, climbed down the tree toward him. "S-sorry," she mumbled.

His eyes glistened. She was perfect like that, fearing him. He liked that. That was one of the reasons why he kept her, after all. He pointed at the round bowl, filled with fresh spring water. "It's time to make the use of typical gelfling skills."

Ariya's eyes flickered from the bowl then back to him. "What would you like me to do?" She asked. She already knew there were only a few uses for a bowl full of water but she didn't want to make him angry so she figured she would ask.

He pulled the strange-looking herbs, red and seeming surrounded by fury coat. "Boil this." 

He handed her the herbs, looking just in her eyes. Then, he broke the eye contact and pulled another blade, much bigger than the previous one, and started to move the stone against the edge.

"As you wish," Ariya dipped her head, taking the herbs and the bowl. She made a small fire, then put the contents in the bowl and placed it over the fire, heating it up.

skekMal was observing the gelfling girl from under a brow. She was useful, he had given that to her. From fear mostly, but it was also good.

After boiling the herbs, Ariya looked to skekMal and asked, "What would you like me to do with these?" She stirred the herbs with a stick.

"It's against the inflammation. Used when someone is wounded, best cooked. I am going to a hunt" he stood up. "And you are going with me. It's time to start training you. I am tired of supplying you."

Ariya stood up, ears twitching. "T-take me with you?" She was a little... no, very nervous now. What if she messed something up? "I-I understand..." After the herbs cooled off she quickly put them inside a wooden flask for travel.

"Prepare yourself. We depart soon. Don't twitch, I won't take you against wild beasts without preparation" his hand landed against her chin and pulled up a bit. "I know you will learn fast, so far you were doing more than well."

"Th-thank you," she managed to say. "I hope I will be of good use." Ariya was naturally clumsy after all, so she prayed it wouldn't get in her way this time.

"Yes, useful, that is what I need from you" his eyes squinted. He took the flask from her and suddenly pushed a knife in her hand. "Now, you will learn how to skin the prey. I hunted this when you slept" he pointed at the dead flesh near the stone he was sitting on. "Tear the fur from it, I will watch. The first step to understanding life here."

Ariya nodded and picked up the flesh. She tried to hold back a gag, not liking the sight or texture of the meat. She set it down on a hard surface and stuck the knife under the fur, saw a little bit off at an odd angle.

skekMal violently took her by the hand, gnarling in anger. "What's that?? You even held a knife in your life?" he forced her back against his stomach and pressing her fingers around the blade, he growled. "Now. Cut it right, you won't even be able to make a coat for yourself if you keep doing it that way" grunting, he pressed her hand harder against the handle.

"F-forgive me," Ariya stuttered, wincing at the pressure on her hand. "I h-haven't ever had to do something like this before, I'm sorry." She cut it again, and this time managed to slice the fur cleanly off the flesh.

"Yes, that's good... you please me" his hand closed harder against her smaller one. He huffed hot air against her neck. "Maybe you won't be a complete failure at the hunt."

Ariya shivered when he breathed on her neck. "I will not fail you, I promise," she said, ears pinned back against her head.

"You have no choice. I will get rid of you, if you do" he snarled, his beak touching her neck now. Suddenly, he broke the contact and taking the meat she skinned, he took a raw bite. He tore a small portion from the slice and pushed before her mouth. "Eat. We have no time to prepare it, the animal I pursue is too far and I know it will be one of the best challenges of the last trine. I won't lose it, because of you."

Ariya took the meat and took a bite, wanting to hurl at the taste but managed to get it down. Gelfling didn’t eat meat but she had to, her stomach already protesting.

"I... understand."

"Good, if you will be obedient, maybe some things won't be that rough for you. The life here is hard but has merits" he patted her over the face, and grabbing her suddenly by the waist and pinning to his body, he pressed her bottom and taking all his weapon with him, he jumped high, not waiting until she prepares.

Ariya held onto him for dear life when he leaped. She still had the meat in her hand.

He growled loud, feeling as he takes a hold on him, his moves fast, and restless. "You like it don't you" he managed to say between the jumps and curling his tail around her waist, acting more like an amused child than a dangerous predator he was, he placed her on his back. "Hold on tight, right there" and then, before she could scream, he jumped into the green void before them, catching the branch just in the right time to not fall into the gap.

Ariya held tightly onto the bones on his shoulders and back, letting out a peep of a scream. Whenever he carried her around like this it made her nauseous, but she had to admit... it was a little fun.

Leaping through the forest, after good two hours of run, he eventually slowed down, sniffing in the air and sensing it. The animal. Close. It may be a good way to teach that Vapra his ways, he was more and more amused by her willing denial. She liked it. “Get off me, I will teach you how to track." he barked.

Ariya slid off his back like a ragdoll and had to catch herself on her feet, wobbling a little. Her arms and hands were sore from holding on so much.

"Maybe you want a bed and a servant to massage your feet?" he poked her with a finger, seeing her wobble. "Go clean yourself, you are all sweating."

"I don't like massages," she mumbled. "I do just fine without a bed..." She wiped the sweat off her forehead and steadied herself so she didn't swinged on her feet. She walked to a nearby pond and quickly splashed water over her face before returning to him.

"Very cautious" he pointed at her dirty shirt. "I like that. You will have to bath, though" he sniffed once more, locating the animal, he suspected it being simply a rakka. Even better. "Watch your feet. Look under them. You may destroy an animal's path. Even the smallest sign can show you where it went. You have no sense like me, so you need to track to hunt it down."

Ariya lifted her feet up and looked at the dirt below her. Then she looked around the ground around them. "There," she said, pointing to some footprints several feet ahead of them.

skekMal looked that way "That is fargn. Not worthy of your blade,. Too little meat and sharp fur. Look more, go further, try to be one with the surroundings. FEEL IT."

Ariya walked ahead of him, looking for larger footprints in the dirt. It wasn't like she could smell the creature like skekMal said. She continued walking, eyeing the ground carefully. Then she spotted larger footprints. "Here."

He walked to her, his eyes shining. "Good eye, gelfling. This is what we are looking for. Be silent and observant, be a huntress" He really liked all of this. She was smarter than he thought and was catching everything rather fast.

Ariya hid a small smile, feeling a sense of pride in finding the prints. "They lead this way," she said, trekking off in the direction the prints went in. But then the prints stopped in front of a tree, and there were claw marks etched into the bark. "I think it went up here."

skekMal grinned, his ear holes adjusting to the sound of the forest, hearing the movement in the three crowns. As usual, he stepped behind her, but this time, he didn't hiss into her neck but closed her eyes with his hand and spoke "HEAR it. It won't attack us, we are bigger and more armed, it hides before us. It will be an easy hunt, I will kill it eye blink."

Ariya's ears twitched to the sounds of the forest around them. Birds chirping, animals... and erratic breathing coming from above. "It's somewhere in the trees," she said quietly.

"Oh yes, it is" and he leaped fast, his claws outstretching, even his feet talons catching the trunk with full force. He didn't need even his blades, fastly attacked the animal and sinking his teeth in its artery, he tore a flesh, making it yell in pain. Then, he took a knife and sank it in the meat, to tear it violently, the rakka made the last wail, the Hunter kicked its dead body, it fell just under Ariya's feet.

Ariya gasped when the dead animal hit the floor just in front of her. She stood frozen at the sight.

skekMal landed on his fours before her, just over the dead rakka. He looked at her from under his mask and then, he growled deeply and his throat bubbled with gurgling laughter.

"That was... stunning," Ariya spoke quietly. She had to admit it. How he moved so quickly and how he killed was amazing to one's eye.

He stood slowly, his eyes glistening with amusement. "If you follow me everywhere when I say, you will see much more of it. It makes me HUNGRY. Let's eat."

"Would you like me to skin it for you?" The gelfling asked.

He laughed "You want to?" he closed his face to hers. "It will be much more bloody than previously, but I like the thought of your hands bathed in it."

Ariya's face heated up at how close he was. "If it pleases you," she said. "I don't mind getting my hands messy."

He lifted the animal and tossed it on a rock, then gave her one of his skinning knives. "Do it, I will watch. Messy gelfling, heh." and he sat on the grass, his eyes fixed on her in badly repressed curiosity.

Ariya began slicing the skin off of the meat, placing it to the side when she was done. It took a while because of the size of the rakka. Her hands and arms were caked in blood.

"I really like you like this" he huffed behind her back. "Pretty little Vapra, all stained in blood. I should give you such tasks more often."

"Would you like me to cut it up as well?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Yes" his eyes were fixed on her, now showing much more than curiosity. "Do it." the small lights in his pupils were flickering as he slowly started to stand up.

Ariya cut off the limbs of the rakka. She was getting used to this. She knew it was not usual, the meat, not the way of the gelfling kind, but this was how he lived. "I can start a fire to cook it over."

She couldn’t fully decipher his expression. But she was almost sure she saw a pure desire in his eyes. He wanted to see her cutting the animal, he wanted her, in a wild animalistic way. Her heart thumped wildly in her chest when she was setting a bonfire. She didn’t know if to feel scared by that. Partially she knew he is violent, easy to anger, and dangerous. But at the same time, she felt a strange fascination for a creature that lived alone here, killed wildest animals, scarred, deadly. Even if that creature was unknown, a deep unknown sent with the wind to capture her to be his servant

They ate in silence, skekMal looking at her all the time, and despite eating, his expression showed the same hunger.

But he didn’t do anything. The fire dwindled and she wasn’t sure if it was even there. Maybe he just liked that she was obedient.

Foolish gelfling. He was a wild beast and you seek admiration in him? Your first meeting with someone outside vapran citadel and you already seek acceptance? Only because he teaches you and praises your speed, doesn't mean he will not kill you. Scolding herself that way, she managed to calm down and again feel normal.

But the Hunter looked at her, still. Curiosity. Not hunger. Curiosity. He was testing her.

Test me, Hunter. Test me. You----

She only heard a ragged breath he always emitting, a harsh breath of wilderness and her heart was beating like a hammer.

“I will not look at him now.”

I will not look.

But she was staring and she still didn’t know why he didn’t even react. Maybe there was something wrong with her. She felt it must be true. She was mad, delusional.

She hated him for that.


	2. Not By Force

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is pretty explicit (even a lot haha). It has some problematic content mention, but only mention, be warned.  
> It's composed from mine and my friend's Randy rp, we wrote it some half a year ago and only now I managed to put it together ;)

The weather started to be cold. skekMal snorted. "Come here, gelfling" he waved a finger at her and patted the place near him. Ariya hesitated before stepping to the place he showed, then sitting down.

"Closer," he growled, his tail taking a hold on her waist and pressing her. "It's cold. I need your warmth." he moved even closer, suddenly, his tongue slid from his beak and licked her face. "You taste of blood, still."

"I guess I will for a while," she said, surprised by the lick. She scooted closer to him, so her side was pressed against him.

He enjoyed that. He was. She was warm and nice to touch, her body was radiating youthful energy. It was a pleasant feeling, she was his and only his, his thing, possession he never allows to leave. "Mine..." he hissed into her ear.

Ariya felt a chill as well and hugged herself closer to him. "Yours."

His hair stood from his back at that, his back spines looking like a crown over his head. He laid dragging her down, embracing her in a tight grasp, and growling in badly repressed heat, just into her hair. 

Ariya did her best to try and snuggle into him, as it was getting cold.

  
skekMal, tired, allowed her at that and they both fell asleep in each other embrace. He knew already what he will do the next morning.

_You can have her. She is yours._

He knew that.

He knew that oh so well.

  
***

Ariya didn't sleep well that night, having nightmares as she had been for the best several days. She awoke with a jolt and was sweating as if she had been running for hours.

skekMal growled through the sleep and took a tighter hold on her, feeling he squeezes her, he opened his eyes. "You didn't run" was more a statement than a question. "I almost hope you will."

"I... I," she started. "Why would I run...?"

"So I could hunt on you" he just said and started to gather the furs, putting them on his back.

"Heh. You hate me. I know it. It's invigorating." he parted from her and stood up, kicking the coals that fell from the fire with his tail, into the right place.

"I don't... I don't hate you," she said. But she didn't like him, either.

"Really?" his burning gaze looked just into her eyes. "I made you mine. You should hate me. Passionately." he grinned with a hungry smile.

Ariya sat up. "I heavily dislike you, how's that?" She asked, folding her arms in front of her. "I heavily dislike you with a passion."

"That's what I call guts," he snorted in laughter. "I like that. You should oppose me more, it would be much funnier I would have more reasons to break you."

Ariya stood up. "Is that why you hope I will run? So you can break me?"

"Clever girl." he turned from her and lashed his tail before her nose. "I don't need reasons, it would be just more pleasant" he teased her.

"What are we doing today?" She questioned.

"Today I planned something special, just for you" he spoke, starting to pack the most important things and plc them on a belt. "We will hunt on special prey."

Ariya squinted at him. "Is this a trick?"

"Trick? I don't need tricks. I do what I want when I want" he snorted again. "I can tell you before on what we hunt but then, the element of surprise is lost."

"Good, don't tell me," Ariya said. He was doing something special for her? She didn't buy it. Maybe this was to just toy with her emotions.

"Yes, that's the spirit. I like when you are so trustworthy and naive, gelfling. It's not the hunt for you feeling good. It's for you to gain more guts to live with me. You are soft, this hunt with making you stronger."

That's what she thought. "As you wish," she simply said.

"Come, you will have more reason to hate me when evening falls. But you WILL be stronger, I can assure you" he patted his back so she crawled upon him.

Ariya held on tightly to his shoulders. She wished she could fly again instead of having to ride on his back whenever they went somewhere.

"Hold tight" he spoke and in the next second, he was leaping through the forest, the wind blowing against his beak and her face, as he was more and more into Stone-in-the-Woods territory.

"How are you so fast and yet the other Skeksis walk so slow?" Ariya couldn't help but a question.

"They are lazy and hunt only for bowls of food. Lazy, sloppy, wretched" he barked, as he was leaping.

"Do they... take away gelfling too?" She asked, voice squeaky.

He laughed, wind dancing in his scarce hair. "They always ask them first." his secondary arms took a tight hold on her small frame.

Ariya's ears drooped and she glared at him. "You could have asked me.... but I suppose that wouldn't be exciting enough for you..."

"You would refuse" his one arm reached over her chin to pet her there, not losing speed. "And yes, this WAS exciting."

She jerked her chin away from his hand. "How do you know I would have refused? Kindness gets you farther than hate. If you had asked nicely I would have said yes."

"Heh. Imagine I appear in your palace, *princess Ariya" Would you allow me to enter?" his hand reached again, this time more insistently.

He had a point. Although if that did happen, Seladon would probably urge her to. She sighed and let him touch her face.

"Yes, that's what I thought. You are honest to yourself." he stopped, patting her in the bottom to leave his back. "We are on the place I chose for today's hunt."

Ariya clambered off his back and stood next to him. She looked around them. "Where are we?"

"As a princess, you should know" he grunted. "The woodland settlement, the Stone-in-the-Woods. We will hunt HERE, for your kind."

Ariya's heart dropped and she felt nauseous. "H-hunting... g-gelfling?" She squeaked. "No, no no no no...

"Not the first time I do it" he closed his beak to her face. "It will make you stronger, you like it or not. Or... you have other ideas on what we should hunt?" his eyes blinked with a cruel light.

"No, you can't make me do this," she said, tears in her eyes, threatening to fall. She didn't want to kill any other creature either. "I'm not... I can't..." she tripped over her own words.

He took her in his grasp again, much stronger, and looked at her intensely. "I will hunt here. I want to do it. You can watch or join, that's up to you. But I catch my prey and you will be there when I end its life."

"Why," Ariya said. "You can't just... murder an innocent gelfling!"

He gazed at her "Who said that? All-Maudra?" he hissed.

"Well of course! It's my mother's job to protect gelfling life!" Ariya exclaimed. "Please, don't do this. Please."

His eyes shone at that. "Give me one valid reason, one reason that will speak to me. And I will let them go."

Ariya thought hard. "If you have a single scrap of emotion in your soul you won't do it. Because you know it's wrong, deep down."

He stopped. "You believe I had that in me, very naive of you" he lashed with his tail angrily.

"You do," Ariya said, staring into his eyes sternly.

"Why you think so, gelfling" he lowered his head, his hot breath reaching her face.

"Because even Skeksis have feelings," Ariya said. "I know you do." She tried to look confident, but honestly, she was shaking.

His gaze burned her.

"I know that you can feel. Deep inside you. Please. I will do everything you want."

He still looked at her, a growl vibrating in his throat.

"Please."

He grunted, uneased. Her hair, her eyes, big and innocent, her looks... everything was making him hungry. She was his possession. She couldn't have that power over him. It was a long trine since... the feeling was spreading all over his body. The feeling that he wants her, above everything. Above his common sense, above his nature.

He took her, suddenly, into his arms, threw over his shoulder, and ran into the void.

"H-hey!" She let out a surprised yelp.

He hissed as he ran, his secondary arms holding her desperately.

  
Ariya was surprised. She managed to convince him. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing he wasn't going to kill any gelfling today.

"Don't be too proud," his face furious, his legs carrying him faster than ever in his life.

Oh dear, he was going to hurt her for this, wasn't he? Better her than someone else, she thought.

He continued, blindingly running further, diving into the deepest, most dark, and thickest depths of the forest.

Ariya's heart started pounding. "Wha... what are you going to do..."

He halted suddenly, Ariya almost falling on the ground. He groaned and fell on her, pinning her hard to the ground. "You are impossible," he grunted. "Completely impossible."

Her breathing became erratic when he pinned her but she knew what was coming. That didn't stop her from clamping her legs together, though, it happened out of instinct.

"No," he said, putting his talons around her waist. "NO."

Ariya whimpered, squirming a little but she opened up for him, legs shaking.

He grunted like a wounded animal and pushed his hand between her legs, in a raw caress, his fingers trailing circles there. "I want you... not by force." he managed to say.

Ariya blinked up at him. That was a first. She groaned at the feeling of his claws in her sensitive area.

"I don't want to harm" his talons digging harder there.

"You.... ah... don't?" Ariya asked, voice barely a whisper as a new sensation cascaded over her body.

"Yes," he started to slowly lower over her body until his beak didn't reach her between her legs. His tongue slid from it and lapped over her most sensitive place.

****

_"You are a dirty gelfling" he huffed into her ear._

_"But I'm your dirty gelfling..." she whined. She was drooling at this point. "Please, ahhhh...."_

_"You are wet" he pushed his fingers into her mouth, hitting her between her legs in a steady rhythm. "I will clean that..." rubbing her body, he started to slide his tongue over her quivering mouth._

_Ariya felt so disgusting but yet so good. For once he made her feel good. She opened her mouth more for him and bit down a little on his claws._

_"Suck them, dirty gelfling," he huffed, trailing path with his fingers over her tongue. His pace faster, his hips driving him into her with wild force, fast, faster, until he was all sweated and his members started to drip._

_Ariya sucked on his fingers and let out muffled moans and whines. He twisted in her, hitting her right spot, and at the same time, he released inside her, welcoming it with a groan of pure pleasure. Better. Much better. Now she was his._

_She closed her eyes and released. It was best thing she ever felt. And it was given to her by him._

****

"I thought... you were angry with me," Ariya said, voice hoarse.

"I am always angry" he growled darkly. "At you, even more." he huffed, the choked growl escaped his beak. "I will be angry to the end of Thra."

"But..." Ariya started. "That was... nice." 

Filthy, but nice.

Filthy.

But made her feel so good that she wanted... to everything be alright from now on. She didn't know why. Why she felt sudden want for him, a sudden crave for his closeness. But she didn't regret it, now and in the future. In the wild beast's eyes a light appeared, which she clung to like to dear life.


End file.
